What are the drivers of and institutional responses to corruption? Are current anti-corruption instruments used domestically and internationally effective? These were the key questions of a fascinating day-long event organized last week in Washington, DC by the George Washington School of Law and the International Bar Association, among others.

The event gathered a distinguished group of speakers from the government, academia, international organizations, law firms, and non-profits, as well as an engaged audience of anti-corruption scholars and practitioners.

While the discussion touched upon a multitude of corruption-related topics, the following aspects of corruption raised at event were the most valuable insights for me:

Corruption as a violation of public trust. Janine Wedel, a Berkeley-trained anthropologist and a professor at George Mason University, emphasized that corruption is more than just simple quid pro quo. Instead, it is a sophisticated network rooted in informal power, influence elites, and often aided by the post-Cold War global economic openness as the revolution of the digital age.

Corruption as a governance problem. Nikos Passas, professor at the Northeastern University, pointed out the roots of corruption in discrepancies between legitimacy and legality (lawful but awful conduct by government officials or businesses) and in unlawful but useful behavior (e.g., bribing a doctor to treat a patient in a failing healthcare system). International norms such as the United Nations Convention Against Corruption help by creating agreed-upon legal standards, but improving on-the-ground governance in countries around the world still has a long way to go. Read a Q&A with Nikos Passas here.

Private sector as a force for anti-corruption. Baker & McKenzie’s Tom Firestone stressed that a broad-based business community in a given country can be an effective force in anti-corruption efforts. He recounted his experience in Russia where local businesses resisted corrupt encroachments of the state. Local firms, after all, have a strong interest in the rule of law and a level playing field in the business environment. But they can’t do it alone.

Inter-governmental cooperation makes a difference. Kathryn Nickerson, Senior Counsel at the Department of Commerce highlighted the importance of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Working Group on Bribery in International Business Transactions responsible for monitoring and implementation of the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention.

Corruption as an attack on human dignity. Sarah Chayes, the conference’s keynote speaker, talked about her recently published book, Thieves of State: Why Corruption Threatens Global Security. She pointed out that there is a moral dimension to corruption – it leads to widespread moral decay and individual humiliation that goes beyond money. In extreme cases of corruption-ridden countries, it is not the weakness of the state that leads to corruption. Rather, the institutions of the state have evolved to make them a conduit for corruption that permeates entire societies.

The Philippine National Police have used the Performance Governance System to improve governance.

Efficient, transparent and accountable governance continues to be a major driving force behind reform movements around the world. In partnership with the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), the Institute for Solidarity in Asia (ISA) has implemented the Performance Governance System (PGS) initiative in the Philippines. The Performance Governance System is a highly rigorous accreditation program that requires participating organizations to reform and strengthen their governance practices with the goal of improving organizational performance, financial transparency and political accountability.

“The work of development is too important to be left in the hands of governments alone. It is the responsibility of everyone. Especially the business community.” This was Betty Maina’s main point in her speech last week at the 8th Public-Private Dialogue (PPD) Workshop in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The workshop explored how the government, private sector, and civil society organizations can effectively use PPD platforms for collaborative governance and leadership in addressing difficult challenges. Through its collaborative process, PPD provides a structured, participatory, and inclusive approach to policymaking directed at reforming governance and the business climate.

As the CEO of CIPE partner the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM), Maina spoke on the crucial role that multi-stakeholder PPD platforms can play in building a better enabling environment for business. Maina recognized the social, economic and environmental challenges that we face, and the important role the business community can play in tackling those challenges.

“Instinctively people recognize that [these] challenges demand a new kind of leadership, a new way of doing things,” she said. “Business, like governments, will have to be in the forefront of this change. No one can do it alone.”

One need to look no farther than Kenya as an example of the private sector’s role in solving societal problems. During the 2007 election crisis, the business community was crucial in supporting peace efforts and dialogue which helped prevent further violence. The business community was also instrumental in supporting the development of Kenya’s new constitution in 2010 and now plays a critical role in its implementation.

For Maina, the purpose of PPD is to pursue a shared vision, joint problem solving, and joint value creation among the participating members. Such a collective resolve can be more valuable and impactful than what can be achieved through the efforts of individual initiatives. “The main goal of a multi-stakeholder process is to see change in policy and implementation,” she said. “Government policies create the environment through which businesses can thrive.” Partnerships, therefore, are key in building an enabling business environment.

To have a successful multi-stakeholder platform, according to Maina, the participants must do the following:

Identify specific issues that affect the business environment and economic progress and which need priority attention.

Carry out joint analysis and research which will better inform the policy formulation process and subsequent implementation

Pool resources, talents and other capabilities of a diverse range of stakeholders, thereby strengthening the capacity to effect change

Share information on problems and solutions, and promote greater levels of understanding and trust between the various stakeholders

Adopt change in policy and implementation of legislation and regulations.

CIPE has been actively involved in supporting and facilitating PPD around the world, including KAM. CIPE is supporting KAM and other private sector partners to advocate county-level policy and regulatory reforms in Kenya. I highly suggest checking out CIPE’s latest Economic Reform Feature Service article on public-private dialogue, which provides a helpful overview of PPD, its purposes, and its benefits with various examples from around the world.

In Cambodia, for example, government-private sector forums have resulted in an estimated $69.2 million impact from reforms. Dialogue in Senegal between the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector and the government resulted in a tax code that that more effectively integrated the SME sector into the formal economy. Meanwhile, sector-specific PPD processes helped the Egyptian citrus sector to grow its exports 14-fold in value and increased cruise passengers to Izmir, Turkey 100-fold. There are many more examples of the success that PPD has shown in reforming government policy to improve governance and the business climate in a democratic and transparent way.

You can learn more and get involved further in the PPD conversation through the following:

Besides experiencing three destructive wars in less than ten years – Operation Cast Lead, Operation Pillar of Defense, and Operation Protective Edge – the Gaza Strip has suffered since 2007 from two unprecedented major political events that affect both the lives and future aspirations of the Palestinians: the Israeli blockade and internal division.

The Gaza Strip, now in its seventh year under Israeli blockade, remains isolated from the outside world. The blockade affects many fields including education, business, the environment, technology, and culture. What is more, there is the internal Palestinian division which has further exacerbated the situation. The political and social division among the two largest Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas, has led to declines in many areas.

The ongoing Israeli blockade undermines development in all aspects of Palestinians’ lives. For instance, economic activity is stifled, leaving Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip heavily dependent on international aid. The rate of unemployment exceeds 40 percent, and 70 percent of the Palestinian community lives below the poverty line.

Education, too, is in no better situation. University and post-graduate level students encounter many difficulties when traveling to pursue academic studies in specialized fields. The educational system lacks good planning, adequate knowledge, skills, and up-to-date innovation. This fact contributes in stifling the intellectual advancement of young adults in Gaza. The lack of facilities, new information, and experiences has caused a marked deterioration of Gaza’s whole educational system. Gradually, the Palestinian people have become disconnected from the outside world. Although many international humanitarian and solidarity campaigns have been directed at Gaza, especially after last summer’s war, most of these campaigns were for relief rather than rehabilitation and development.

Along with the Israeli blockade on Gaza, seven years of a Palestinian division have further worsened the situation in Palestine. The absence of a unified Palestinian leadership undermines the efforts of the international community to settle the situation in Gaza. The division also widens the social gap between Palestinians of different political backgrounds and inspires pessimism in society about future aspirations and prospects.

It is true that a reconciliation agreement between Fatah and Hamas has already been approached, and a consensus/interim government has been formulated, however the division on the ground is still present, if not even worse. It has been eight months since the formulation of the new Palestinian government, yet they have not been able to hold parliamentary elections nor proceed with the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. There is a lack of strategic planning among the divided Palestinian leaders and elites.

This strategic planning cannot happen without proper strategic thinking – meaning that the emerging political, social, and economic structures in the Gaza Strip need support. Academics and experts must be enabled to constructively engage in the key issues of domestic Palestinian issues. These experts need assistance in finding feasible solutions, through the use of collective thinking, to the complicated technical, emotional, and political problems. This fact holds true in all possible scenarios.

This process needs a strong, constructive, and visible involvement of civil society actors. Only by doing so will the restoration and reconciliation process stand a chance of achieving the high expectations that the Palestinian population has set vis-à-vis the reconciliation agreement, elections, and a new government.

Fostering a strong competitive market requires the private and public sectors to understand each other’s needs. In any country, entrepreneurs look for ways to make their businesses successful while the federal and local governments deliberate how they can boost the economy by providing loans for businesses or building up infrastructure. Developing solutions to such questions involve facilitating effective public private dialogues (PPD).

At the 8th PPD Global Workshop in Copenhagen, Denmark – which was co-organized by the World Bank Group, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Confederation of Danish Industry – over 300 participants from civil society organizations, companies, governments and development partners from 54 countries came together to share their experiences with PPDs. CIPE and several current and past partner organizations from Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya, Moldova, Serbia, and Nigeria participated in this four day event.

Betty Maina, CEO of CIPE partner Kenya Association of Manufacturers, was a featured speaker and highlighted the importance of PPD for the enabling business environment. Director for Multiregional Programs Anna Nadgrodkiewicz also presented CIPE’s joint initiative with the World Bank, an interactive knowledge hub website for the global PPD community of practice (www.publicprivatedialogue.org).

The workshop focused both on successes and challenges faced by PPD practitioners when developing, implementing, and evaluating constructive dialogues in different environments. The breakout sessions were divided by range of themes such as fragile and conflict-affected states (e.g. Palestine and Guinea), politically and socially transitioning environments (e.g. Tunisia and Slovakia) and city-level versus regional-level PPDs.

While the conclusion of the workshop was that there is no “one size fits all” guidance for creating constructive PPD models, the following were key themes that PPD practitioners emphasized at the workshop.

Governments and businesses are afraid to join dialogues due to lack of trust. To overcome this and to build trust among PPD stakeholders, dialogues must be constructive, action-oriented conversations. PPDs cannot be a platform for complaining about each actor’s wrongdoings.

Securing high-level buy-in from both public and private sectors is critical. This leads to a stronger possibility of reform implementations.

Changing policies take a long time. To not lose momentum, and to encourage each other, it’s important to celebrate both shot-term and long-term wins.

Due to scare resources available in certain environments, identifying shared strategic priorities for all parties is critical.

PPDs bring together actors with different viewpoints, so searching for mutual understanding and building compromises between actors is key.

Innovation, flexibility, and adaptability are important factors to keep in mind when PPDs are operated in fragile or transitioning countries.

Developing an ecosystem conducive for economic growth takes time, but the workshop attendees have returned to their respective countries with more energy, resources, and networks to catalyze their local dialogues.

As PPD practitioners continue advocating for stronger business environments, CIPE encourages members of PPD community to stay in touch and share their stories and lessons learned on the PPD hub at www.publicprivatedialogue.org or on its social media sites at Facebook or Twitter.

For sustainable economic growth, developing countries must have the capacity to functionally interact with the global market. Much of the onus for building that capacity rests on a domestic commitment to reforms compatible with global trade. Many emerging markets have lofty aspirations that are unachievable given the current state of affairs, but are determined to rectify the situation. Access to foreign markets can cement reform efforts aimed at improving the local economy and sustaining economic growth.

In late February, the Center for Strategic International Studies (CSIS) released a report from their Congressional Task Force on Trade Capacity Building (TCB) on “Opportunities in Strengthening Trade Assistance.” While the report focuses primarily on US efforts to improve the effectiveness and relevance of its TCB programs, it signals a shift in international engagement and understanding of the role trade plays on the growth of a developing economy.

The shift is also indicative of a growing global development trend toward incorporating the voice of the recipient country from the beginning stages of negotiations through agreement ratification. What is interesting about the current TCB discussions is the recognition by major players in the development world of including the knowledge and expertise of the private sector. Ultimately, it is the private sector in the developing and developed countries that will bear the fruits of economic growth and trade.

Trade capacity is essentially about supplying enough to meet demand. International demand can come from one’s neighbors or a country on the other side of the globe. Building trade capacity is not just about making sure one’s ports are large enough to handle all of the country’s imports and exports and the physical infrastructure for transportation thereof, it is also about the institutional environment within which the private and public sectors operate, and the relationship between the two. Crippling regulatory institutions, disaffected and disenfranchised segments of the population, lack of access to capital, unresponsive, unengaged, and repressive government, and a disjointed private sector can all drastically inhibit a country’s ability to grow – and trade.

Through public-private dialogue (PPD) an organized, engaged private sector can work with the local, state, and national governments to improve the business climate, promote transparency, and create new jobs. In Afghanistan, CIPE continues to work with the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) in its attempts to increase its voice in national policymaking processes through the development and marketing of a national business agenda (NBA). Within the NBA, the Chamber voices its desire for tariff policy and trade facilitation reforms.

And in Nigeria, CIPE and local partners host training programs for parliamentarians designed to aid policymakers in making informed decisions about cultivating a business environment that allows the private sector to develop and operate successfully.

CIPE welcomes an international effort to engage the private sector in building trade capacity among the world’s emerging markets and developing countries. Access to markets and the ability to meet the demand generated requires a healthy dialogue between the public and private sectors and an understanding that a thriving economy is in everyone’s best interest.

In Liberia, female participation in decision-making has long been limited to a few women who have fought tirelessly to be heard. Liberian society needs to take a critical look at the role of women across traditional, economic, political, religious, and social interactions. It is time for this silence to end and a new politics of inclusiveness and ownership be rolled out. This requires real decision-making by women rather than a semblance of participation and involvement.

Traditionally, Liberian women have been limited to domestic work, which involves fishing, gathering firewood, cooking, and cleaning. During town meetings, the women were given limited opportunity to contribute their ideas and were rarely selected as village chiefs. In ceremonies, they were expected to decorate and cook. Sadly, many of these traditions continue today.

Today, often the best economic opportunity for women is to work as petty traders, where they face great challenges: sleeping on the cold ground in cramped rooms to sell their goods in bad, often muddy conditions. Frequently involved in trading across borders, they bear great risk in traveling to Ghana, Nigeria, and beyond.

Women move our economy, but the economic decisions that affect them are still mostly made by men. How will the economy progress if the decisions around it are not inclusive?

Despite these circumstances, Liberia elected the first female president in Africa, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who assumed the presidency in 2006. Before that, Ruth S. Perry, head of the last Interim Government, lead Liberia on a path to peace after the bloody, 14-year civil war that began in 1989. However, you can count on one hand the few other women who play a role in political decision-making in the male-dominated system. Most of their advisers are men, deeply influencing their decisions. The same is true in the country’s religious leadership.

Nevertheless, Liberian women are active, strong, and enterprising members of society. They are hugely interested in getting involved in efforts for social good, even though the opportunities to do so are very limited. Through my fellowship at the Accountability Lab, I strive to find creative ways to help them understand their rights, share their voice, and play an important role in building accountability.

For example, the Lab helped set up the Accountability Film School in Monrovia, which teaches young women how to create films that tell their stories and call communities and power-holders to action. One of the participants, Dorcas, lost her family in Liberia’s civil war and was on the street, struggling to make ends meet when she found the class. She created a short documentary called “Say It” about sexual harassment in high schools – an issue she has suffered from personally – and she went on to win the viewer’s choice award at our film festival and teach future sessions of the film school. This is what women’s empowerment looks like.

Thinking of the challenges I have seen women in Liberia go through, I am deeply committed to this cause, and believe that as a man, I have an important role to play. Men are the biggest obstacle to change on this issue. We must rethink how our traditions and culture affect women’s rights, and in order to create real change, men must also join the conversation.

Just as political accountability cannot be achieved without a role for both citizens and government, women’s empowerment cannot be achieved without both involvement by both women and men. Women’s Day should be celebrated in rooms full of women and men – because this has to be a collective effort to ensure everyone in society is valued and systems change to ensure fairness and inclusivity. Men have to be the biggest advocates for women’s essential and equal role in society. I’m adding my voice to that call for change.

On September 20, 2014 the United Nations launched the HeForShe campaign, a worldwide effort to engage men in the promotion of women’s rights. Over 200,000 men and boys have since signed the pledge to support gender equality, and the social media movement has reached more than 1.2 billion people.

The HeForShe campaign’s most recent initiative, IMPACT 10x10x10, calls upon governments, businesses, and universities to take a more active role in promoting gender equality. The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2014 reveals a large discrepancy between men and women in their access to politics and economic empowerment.

Regarding the business sector, IMPACT 10x10x10 proposes a set of Women’s Empowerment Principles that integrate a basis for gender equality into common business practices. The seven core principles are:

Establish high-level corporate leadership for gender equality

Treat all women and men fairly at work – respect and support human rights and nondiscrimination

These principles set a positive precedent for pursuing gender equality in the workplace, but they fall short of bridging the gender gap in access to economic opportunity. Women may be offered greater resources within the business community, but they still face challenges entering the business community. For this, women’s economic empowerment relies on the support of men at all levels – husbands, fathers, and local business and community leaders – to ensure that women are provided equal access to the marketplace and can overcome traditional gender barriers without fear of limitations.

Women’s economic agency depends on a challenging of gender norms and patriarchal power structures. Empowerment initiatives ought to begin at the smallest unit: the household. A pilot project conducted with CARE-Rwanda’s Village Savings and Loan (VSL) program engages local men in the process of offering microfinance loans to their female partners.

The study finds that male dominance in the household hinders women’s access to financial services and economic activity. Women’s contribution to household income therefore relies on their share of marital bargaining power – which is heavily determined by the prevalence of gender-based violence in the home.

Depending on the context, gender-based violence can either be quelled or caused by women’s economic empowerment. Whereas women’s income gains ultimately benefit the whole family, men do not always react positively to this shift in household dynamics. Therefore, development policymakers must engage men in women’s economic empowerment at all levels. The HeForShe campaign’s focus on male business leaders needs a complement at the household level.

Just as IMPACT 10x10x10 offers recommendations to businesses, the campaign would benefit from expanding its approach to suit more localized contexts. CARE’s VSL approach ran group education activities, worked individually with men, and created a manual and training process to ensure men’s involvement and support for women’s economic empowerment.

Ultimately, the study found that the VSL programs reduced gender-based violence against women. Likewise, men’s participation in group training sessions resulted in improved incomes for poor households as men were found more welcoming to women’s economic activity. Traditional gender norms also shifted when men from the experimental group took part in care work otherwise delegated solely to women.

With a more comprehensive approach, women can gain greater access to the economy and advance faster in the business sector. The HeForShe campaign takes a positive first step. Businesses ought to adopt its guiding recommendations, and development practitioners must replicate its model at a more local level.

This International Women’s Day, “making it happen” will not only depend on women’s advancement, but also male support and active participation. In the end, women’s empowerment serves as a prerequisite for a more prosperous society overall.

The draft Nicaraguan Businesswomen Agenda was presented during REN’s International Women’s Day forum on March 6, 2015. Speakers included Nicaraguan Minister of Industry and Commerce Orlando Solórzano and U.S. Ambassador to Nicaragua Phyllis Powers.

It is not unusual for Nicaraguan media to publish articles related to women’s empowerment on International Women’s Day. Women are prominent in the Nicaraguan political sphere, thanks in part to gender quotas encompassed in the Gender Equality Law and the revised Electoral Law. Nicaragua now ranks 11th in the world in the proportion of women in parliament, 40 percent – far above most other Latin American countries (and the United States, with 18 percent). International Women’s Day provides an opportunity to highlight these advances.

What’s unusual in the case of the two articles linked above is the inclusion of one word: “Businesswomen.” Here is why.

Unfortunately the trend towards greater participation of women in the political sphere has been slow to spread to private sector organizations, which are key actors in advocating for policies that improve the business climate. A 2014 review conducted by the Network of Nicaraguan Businesswomen (REN) of the 19 business organizations that form the umbrella private sector association the Superior Council for Private Enterprise (COSEP) found that an average of 16 percent of board members are women. This is the same figure found by a similar study by the International Labor Organization in 2009.

Private sector organizations rarely incentivize women’s participation or provide equal access to information that can lead them to access leadership positions. As a result, there are very few private sector leaders promoting the specific interests and needs of women entrepreneurs in a substantial way.

On top of that, organizations of women entrepreneurs have historically operated based on incipient alliances and limited coordination with one another, resulting in disperse efforts to advocate for public policies that can improve the business environment for women entrepreneurs.

If this is the reality, are La Prensa and El Nuevo Diario’s articles simply fluff pieces scheduled to coincide with International Women’s Day?

The answer is no. In 2014, the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) began working with REN to improve the capacity of women entrepreneurs and businesswomen organizations to advocate for a better business environment and to increase the knowledge and awareness of businesswomen, government officials, private sector associations, donors, and the public in general about the specific obstacles and challenges women entrepreneurs face.

These discussions boiled down to four priority areas for the Agenda: access to credit, associability and leadership, capacity building needs, and legal framework. REN set up a working group for each priority area with the participation of businesswomen, think tanks, lending institutions, universities, and government officials. These working groups then identified concrete measures to overcome the specific problems in each priority area.

To date more than 200 women, 30 civil society organizations and private companies, and five universities have actively participated in the development of the National Businesswomen’s Agenda. OK, but what does this have to do with the headlines in La Prensa and El Nuevo Diario?

The headlines give nod to the draft agenda that was presented during REN’s International Women’s Day forum “Strengthening the Voice of Women Entrepreneurs with a Growth Agenda” on March 6. U.S. Ambassador to Nicaragua Phyllis Powers, Nicaraguan Minister of Industry and Commerce Orlando Solórzano, President of REN Lucy Valenti, leaders from other women’s organizations, and roughly 450 others participated in the event to discuss the National Businesswomen’s Agenda and necessary steps to improve women’s economic and political participation in Nicaragua.

This wasn’t REN’s first International Women’s Day forum, but it was the first to present concrete action items for improving women’s economic empowerment in Nicaragua. Valenti stated at the event, “Economic empowerment not only means that women have jobs, properties, and businesses, but also means having the actual control of these resources and the ability to influence our own destiny.”

CIPE strives to empower the private sector to participate in the democratic process and strengthen the freedom of association. In Nicaragua, the national business agenda process with women entrepreneurs at the forefront is facilitating a degree of cooperation rarely seen amongst civil society organizations.

The visibility of messages like “Empowered Businesswomen” and “Businesswomen Influence the Destinies of Other Women” are a step in the right direction. Giving women entrepreneurs a seat at the “advocacy” table can yield long-term benefits for women’s empowerment by building a political and economic environment that benefits society as a whole, not just one half of it.

Creating an inclusive agenda was the first step. Now REN and its allies, the Association of Producers and Exporters of Nicaragua (APEN), Vital Voices Nicaragua, COSEP’s Gender Commission, the Nicaraguan Development Institute (INDE), and the Permanent Congress of Nicaraguan Women Entrepreneurs (CPMEN) are embarking on defining specific recommendations for legal reforms, garnering more cooperation from government and additional private sector actors, and engendering broad public support through social and traditional media.

Plan to start seeing the word “Businesswomen” a lot more in the Nicaraguan press, and not just on International Women’s Day.

Brent Ruth is a Program Officer for Latin America & the Caribbean at CIPE.